Tag: Smaller Steps

At GirlMogul we’re big on goals, low on resolutions. Resolutions are big sweeping statements about what you wish you would happen. Goals are specific, tactical with a clear end and a timeframe. A resolution is to start a business. A goal is to select your business name and incorporate it. Or in another familiar example, resolution is to lose weight. A goal is to lose five pounds by January 31st.

Of course to get your goals, there may be a whole host of smaller steps. After one does not get from no weight loss to five by wishing alone. Neither does one decide, willy-nilly to pick a business name without checking some crucial steps off of the to-do list. But as you can see these specific, discrete goals give something to really aim for. And you can truly celebrate your accomplishments.

I am heading out on vacation next week and I find that this is both good and bad. I finally have some time to slow down and think. I come back with tons of great ideas, but I also lament how little I have accomplished. Some years, it seems as if I am in the same place I was the year before.

But this year I became super tactical with my goals. And I have made tremendous progress. But recently, with the begininng of spring I found my self re-evaluating my goals. And I urge you to do the same. Now, I didn’t reverese course or head off in a new direction.

Instead I refined my path, re-defined some priorities, moving one project up on the to-do list. I also renewed my vow to write down my goals for the next five months every day. This simple technique is incrediably powerful and it takes but a few mintues. If you do it first thing in the morning you will be crystal clear and focused on what you need to do for the whole day.

It’s an incrediably powerful tool, and I urge you, with the change of seasons, to take the time to recommit to your goals this year. If you had resolutions, then take one and turn it into a goal – perhaps make it smaller or more specific with a short, one or two month timeframe. Write out the to-do list that will make this happen – maybe it’s five steps. Write and live these steps for the next 30 days AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS…

Please – tell us about it – tell us what your goal is and what happens when you write it down every day and FOCUS on it for the next 30 days…

Hey GirlMoguls – it’s almost back to school time and here are a few more tips on how to make dealing with all of the school stuff a breeze – I mean if just a few organizational tips made school that much easier (and a cinch to grab a higher grade or two) wouldn’t it be worth it? (Check out our first post here) After all it’s not like I’m telling you to go study or anything like that! Ok, so here are my tips for handling those long-term homework assignments:

First Off – Jump right in – just because the due date for that Spanish project is a week or so away, doesn’t mean you should leave it to the last minute. You should get started on it stat – because, trust me, just knowing you’ve started will help kill that overwhelmed feeling

Break it Down – sure you know you should start now – but how? Start by breaking the project into smaller steps or tasks and start tackling them 1,2, 3 – maybe first up is researching your subject, next up is writing a draft of your presentation and third up is pulling together all the pictures for it…

Pace Yourself – figure out how many days you have until the project is due – and don’t count weekends, unless you’re really going to work – and then divide the project into as many mini-goals as your have days to finish – for instance if you have to read a whole book for a book report, divide up the number of chapters by days – but be sure to leave a day or two to write the report

Check your List – keep a checklist of your goals so you can track your progress to the deadline – remember if one of the tasks took longer than you thought, be sure to adjust your goals to fit into the time you have left….

So see – even those long term project are no big deal with these tips – next up I’ll show you how to manage your schedule.